Contemporary Progressive Rock Review: Profuna Ocean-In Vacuum

Profuna
Ocean is a contemporary prog rock band formed in The Netherlands back in 2008. The debut album, Watching The Closing Sky, was released the following year, and
picked up some international attention as well as some Dutch radio play.
Indeed, it was one Rick Wakeman, The Caped Crusader himself, who aired Profuna
Ocean’s music when he was a broadcaster on Planet Rock Radio. The band then
continued to enhance their growing reputation by sharing stages with bands such
as Focus, Knight Area and Racoon. 2013 saw the band win the award for “best
prog rock band of The Netherlands” for their song, “Waiting For The Fall.”

All the while, the band were working on the second album,
refining and evolving their style. They were taking onboard influences from
bands like Porcupine Tree and Pineapple Thief in the progressive area of their
music but adding the sort of power and intensity a band like Anathema
demonstrated, to further hone the newer material in their style.

Profuna Ocean is a 4 piece band comprising Fred den
Hartog (drums), Raoul Potters (vocals, guitar), Arjan Visser (bass) and Rene
Visser (keyboards) and album No 2, In
Vacuum, was released recently. In
Vacuum is an 8 track album with a total playing time around 62 minutes,
with the title track, “In Vacuum” being the shortest of the eight, running for
less than 2 minutes (1:11) and the longest track being “Hanging In The Balance”
at over 13 minutes (13:30).

The opening track to any album is important as it has to
say “you are really going to like this” and then proceed to grab your ears and
provide the evidence for this statement. The spotlight falls on “Thousand Yard
Stare” (7:29) at the start of In Vacuum.
Starting with crashing power chords, it quickly evolves into gorgeous melodic
voices with an acoustic guitar and piano before returning to the power chord
sequence with more emphatic vocals. The vocals are terrific and the overall
feel of the track is that it neatly straddles the hard, heavy rock and gentle,
acoustic, melodic areas. As an opening track, “Thousand Yard Stare” is a
definite winner, veering as it does, constantly engaging the listener, plus
there are some “killer” electric guitar passages. The track sets the listener
up perfectly for the rest of the album.

“Awakening” (4:54) is another track that has a driving
feel to it with a heavier sound, but the vocals retain their very melodic flow.
This is a shorter track, but has a “hook” from early on which resurfaces
several times.

Next up is the longest track, “Hanging In The Balance”
(13:30) which allows the band to fly. From the superb guitar, backed by the
excellent power unit of bass and drums and the ever present, but only briefly
taking the spotlight, sweep of the keyboards, this track simply flows
effortlessly, going through seamless changes of tempo and power. “Hanging In
The balance” is one of those tracks that you just want to hear over and over
again. The long instrumental passages show the amazing tightness of the
musicians involved.

“Losing Ground” (8:00), “Ghost” (5:09), “Beautiful
Sunrise” (10:36) and the title track, “In Vacuum” (1:11) are in turn, melodic
but driving, acoustic and just beautiful, harsh power chords, sweeping
keyboards and atmosphere with the title track a short atmospheric building
track.

The final track, “Clean Slate” (11:42) starts up like a
powerful rock track with power chords and great vocals before evolving into an
atmospheric piece of music which then morphs into an engine-room showcase (bass
and drums) before some superb guitar leads back into the heavier mode. Towards
the end of the track, a piano has an excellent passage together with a
“whistling wind” and the track fades away.

I feel that the album, In Vacuum, require several listens before you realize that this is
a great piece of work. The band has managed to make an album which filters into
your head a little more with each play, and then it hits you without warning.

As always, this reviewer’s opinion is a very personal
one, but I would encourage you to give Profuna Ocean a listen and I feel that
there will be very few disappointed people.

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